Big names in real estate and architecture make up the four development teams contending for the $1 billion-plus project, Chicago Real Estate Daily writes. According to an Amtrak's exec, new construction could take place atop existing structures, on land Amtrak owns or over train tracks, with up to 3 million square feet of air rights available.

—Also, look for a groundbreaking today on a massive project nearby: the 3,700-unit residential community called Riverline.

Why is Exelon touting a subsidy for coal-fired power plants?

The nuke giant has floated a plan that would raise electricity prices downstate and potentially keep open several coal-fired plants slated for closure, Crain's reports. Exelon isn't doing this out of the kindness of its heart: It's gearing up for another run at winning subsidies to save two of its own nuclear power plants on the chopping block.

Two Chicago law firms' Big Apple gamble

A pair of Chicago's biggest legal players are a decade into a major push into New York, a market that holds an incomparable lure: industry-leading rates. But the East Coast expansion effort is still a work in progress, especially considering the city is the most competitive legal market in the country. Crain's has more here.

You don't know Steve Wang. You should.

Wang runs metro Chicago's biggest minority-owned company, headquartered at a single-story building in Long Grove next door to a horse farm. MAT Holdings has a vast global footprint (40 facilities on three continents), a hefty payroll (16,000 employees) and serious inflows (an expected $1.6 billion in sales this year). Crain's takes you inside the operation.

The four races to watch in Illinois on Election Day

It's an election year unlike any in recent memory, Crain's Greg Hinz writes, and all bets are off on predicting outcomes. Here are the battles that matter most in determining where we go after Nov. 8.

Political analyst Paul Green dies at 73

Chicago has lost one voice in deciphering politics this season. Longtime scene observer and writer Paul Green, director of the Institute for Politics at Roosevelt University, died over the weekend. In addition to hosting City Club forums, he authored several books and was a political analyst for WGN Radio. Read a selection of his Crain's columns here.

Colleges face scrutiny on tuition hikes, tax-free endowments

Tomorrow a House Ways and Means subcommittee is set to look at how colleges are trying to reduce tuition, just as many endowments are expected to post investment declines, Bloomberg writes. Illinois GOP Rep. Peter Roskam, who chairs the subcommittee, said members "are deeply concerned that college tuition is spiraling out of control, making higher education out of reach for American families, even when most colleges and universities enjoy significant tax benefits."

Is Tronc's Gannett resistance wavering?

The Chicago-based newspaper chain formerly known as Tribune Publishing is in active talks over Gannett's takeover bid of about $673 million, sources tell Bloomberg. It could be a sign of Tronc willingness to drop its fierce opposition to a merger of the two newspaper publishers.

—And the New York Post reports Tronc abruptly canceled a road show this week to promote its stock. Some saw the road show as a sign that the Gannett talks weren't going smoothly.

The time for griping over gridlocked government and mountains of IOUs is over. Real action is needed to fix Illinois, Crain's Editorial Board writes. And Chicago's top businesspeople are uniquely qualified to craft workable solutions to these complex challenges. Have a suggestion? Let us know.

“It's gonna happen” is getting closer and closer to being true these days: The team has the best record in baseball and will almost certainly clinch a playoff spot. So how do you put a value on an experience that has never happened in your lifetime and may not present itself again for years? The New York Times has some thoughts.